Axios PM

July 25, 2019
Happy summer Thursday.
Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 432 words, a 1.5 minute read.
1 big thing: Europe smashes heat records
People on the beach take shelter from the sun. Photo: John Keeble/Getty Images
A heat wave is roasting western Europe, where temperatures are falling in quick succession, Axios' Ursula Perano notes.
- Paris area: 109 degrees Fahrenheit (old record 105)
- Germany: 109 (old record 105 set yesterday)
- Netherlands: 105 degrees (old record set yesterday)
- Belgium: 105
- London: 98
Why it matters: The Europeans don't use AC like Americans, and when heat waves hit, they kill.
- Most notably, a 2003 heat wave killed 15,000 people in France.
- "Until now, fewer than five percent of all European households have air-conditioning, compared with 90 percent in the United States," the WashPost notes.
- "But Europe’s air-conditioner stock is estimated to roughly double within the next two decades ... as record heat becomes more frequent."
The big picture: “There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing,” meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd told the AP.
- “The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,” said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel.
- “We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.”
What's next: Europe is expected to cool down starting tomorrow.
Bonus: Pic du jour

Puerto Ricans march together as they celebrate the ouster of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.
- After two weeks of protests, Gov. Rosselló stepped down after a group chat was exposed that included misogynistic and homophobic comments.
2. What you missed
- In the 24 hours since Robert Mueller warned of future election interference, Senate Republicans have blocked a collection of election security bills and a cybersecurity measure. Go deeper.
- Tulsi Gabbard is suing Google for allegedly infringing on her free speech rights after her campaign ads were temporarily suspended following the first round of Democratic primary debates. Go deeper.
- The European Central Bank left its key interest rate at -0.4%, but sent strong signals that its record low interest rate could be heading lower as soon as September. Go deeper.
- Apple agreed to buy the majority of the smartphone-modem chip business of Intel for $1 billion.
3. 1 fun thing
The Minnesota Twins are on pace to finish the MLB season with a collective 311 home runs, which would obliterate the record of 267 set by the New York Yankees last year, writes the N.Y. Times' James Wagner.
- The league is in the midst of a controversy regarding "juiced" baseballs — with allegations flying that their composition was altered to improve offense — but the Twins' surge is something else.
- They've "become baseball’s dominant slugging team with more than just brute force. Among the other reasons: aggressiveness at the plate, modern hitting philosophies, power hitters added in the off-season and young players blossoming."
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